Homers spark Taunton West

Saturday

The best and the brightest stars of the Greater Taunton Little League went head-to-head Friday evening in the opening round of the District 6 All-Star tournament held at Norton Avenue.

The best and the brightest stars of the Greater Taunton Little League went head-to-head Friday evening in the opening round of the District 6 All-Star tournament held at Norton Avenue.

Their long-range goal — Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

And both the 12-year-old Taunton West Nationals and Taunton East Nationals showed plenty of potential in the first game.

Home runs by pitching hero Jake Laffan and Brian Rugg proved to be the difference as the West Nationals blanked the East Nationals, 2-0, in a highly contested game at the Taunton West Little League complex.

“It was a good game all the way around,” West Nationals manager Gregg Rugg said. “Good pitching both sides. The East always plays tough and smart ball. But home runs win games.”

Laffan went the distance for the West Nationals, allowing four hits while striking out seven. He walked two and escaped numerous threats from the East Nationals, especially in the second, third and fourth innings.

“My catcher was placing the mitt where I should throw it,” Laffan said “I was missing my spots and they were hitting it. But I stayed confident and kept it together. I knew my defense was going to stay up.”

It was a day of missed opportunities for the talented East Nationals squad, which were minus all-star second baseman Ryan Jones coming into the contest. Jones was ill and did not participate.

The East Nationals had chances to score runs off Laffan, placing runners on second base twice during the game. But each time, squandered those opportunities.

“It was a good game, but we did not hit,” East Nationals manager Arthur Pimenta said. “We’re much better than we played. But we got to hit. I don’t know if we had a little apprehensiveness or fate let go. But they seemed a little tight in the beginning. But we’ll see what happens. We got to come back, that’s all.”

West Nationals catcher Corey Marsden had a big day behind the plate.

Marsden gathered wild pitches in the dirt and threw out two East Nationals base runners — Dan Pedro in the second inning and Jared Hebert in the third — trying to advance an extra base.

Even when pinch hitter Evan Silveira singled to lead off the last of the sixth. The East Nationals could not produce the tying runs.

A hard grounder by Joe Roumbakis went right to shortstop Nick Tabak, who stepped on second for the force out before getting Roumbakis in a rundown between first and second for an unusual double play.

“A couple of feet either way, it looks great,” Pimenta said. “We just did not hit. There is not much to say. The young man who pitched for them did a great job. He kept us off balance so probably it was a credit to his good pitching and us not hitting. But we’re much better than we played. They got to swing and hit the ball.”

Both teams showed plenty of leather in the first three innings of the game. It was scoreless until the top of the fourth.

Laffan belted the third pitch from Pedro and sent it far over the fence in right center to give the West Nationals a 1-0 lead.

“I said to Jake just before he came to bat and told him to let’s help your pitcher out,” Rugg said. “And he’s the pitcher. It’s like a saying ‘I have with him.’ Every time I tell him that, he hits one. He gives it all he’s got.”

Laffan studied Pedro before coming to bat that inning.

“I knew every pitch he was throwing to the first batter was high and it was probably junk,” Laffan said. “I waited for the next one and it was right there in the zone.”

Brian Rugg made the score 2-0 in the sixth when he deposited a pitch over the fence in almost the exact same spot as Laffan.

East Nationals pitcher George Pelletier came on in relief of Pedro in the sixth and got his team out of a bases-loaded situation.

Then it was up to Laffan, who held the fort for the victory.

The West Nationals will now face a Fall River team at noon today.

Both the Taunton West and Taunton East Americans will compete in the first game, double-elimination draw on Super Saturday in Fall River.

The Taunton East Nationals will face a do-or-die situation in the loser’s bracket.

“We’ve been there before and scratched back,” Pimenta said. “Last year, they scratched back and we got to do the same thing.”

ssanchez@tauntongazette.com

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